Lots Of Veggies

In memory of our friend Sue who passed away last week, we placed flowers and a card at her reserved seat in front of the kitchen window.

Guests at the Wednesday Community Meal today were treated to lots of  veggies courtesy of The Oregon Food Bank and volunteer Kate who has an amazing garden and is so generous.

From the Oregon Food Bank we received four cases of asparagus that we roasted in the oven and seasoned with garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper. From Kate we had garden fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, carrots, beets, onions, garlic and cantaloup.

We sliced the cucumbers and seasoned them with rice vinegar, garlic, salt and a touch of sugar. They were crisp, cooling and an absolutely delicious addition to the meal. We used the tomatoes for the salads and roasted the squash, beets and carrots to serve as sides. The plates today were so colorful!

It's so wonderful to be able to treat our guests to such high-quality, fresh and nutritious produce. Our guests love it and many stopped by the kitchen window to say thanks.

We served 346 meals today.

The salads we served today.

Asparagus ready for the oven.

Another treat today was chicken from Phil's Uptown Meat Market that we coated with barbecue sauce and baked.

A Delicious Day

A plate of crispy chicken with baked beans, mushroom ravioli with Swiss Chard and roasted tomatoes.

It was a delicious day at the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. We served 204 guests plates of crispy oven roasted chicken and warm peach crisp for dessert.

For side dishes we had roasted tomatoes, green salads, baked beans, rice, mushroom ravioli with Swiss chard and soup. Not every guest got the same accompaniments to the chicken but there were no complaints. Everything was well received. It is a privilege to serve such nice people.

The chicken was especially popular. Before coating it with a breading of panko, flour, cornmeal, seasonings and herbs, we dipped it into a seasoned mixture of milk, lemon juice and oil.  Baking it in a 375 degree oven got it extra crispy and boy did it smell great.

Delicious!

Everyone Is Welcome

Dedicated volunteer Dan, getting a meal to eat with guests.

 

What I love most about the Wednesday Community Meal is that everyone is welcome. The doors open  at 11 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th, Portland, OR) and all you have to do is come inside.

Carol, a long-term volunteer in our dining room told me today that she notices the first time when someone comes in to eat, they usually seem shy, keep their head down and are hesitant to make eye contact.

But she said, once they've come a few times and get to know us, they come alive. She said she loves it when their eyes light up, they smile and they make friends with the other guests and volunteers.

To feed the hungry is the main reason we serve a meal on Wednesdays but there are so many other benefits like solace, fellowship and friendship. And these benefits are for everyone, guests and volunteers.

We served 317 meals today and as always, everyone was welcome.

Fresh fruit cups ready to be served.

Fresh Produce

Besides feeding the hungry, I see the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral as an opportunity to treat our guests to healthy and delicious foods like fresh fruit and vegetables.

Our bodies crave and need fresh produce but it's very hard to find for free when you rely on food donations.

Today we were blessed to be able to serve 320 meals accompanied by beautiful salads, bowls of soup and cake for dessert.

Thanks to the generosity of Good Sam Hospital, Trader Joe's, Phil's Meat Market, Pizza Schmizza and Baker & Spice, we had plenty of food, just not a lot of a single item. The guests were appreciative and understanding about us having to change the menu a few times.

Between servings of Meatloaf and Chili, there was Chicken Parmesan, Chicken with Mushroom Sauce, Enchiladas, Sweet and Sour Shrimp, Indian Curry, Roasted Pork, Pizza and Ribs.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Summer gardening season and hopefully being able to serve our guests more fresh produce.

Winging It

Jeff, serving the very popular rosemary and lemon roasted chicken.

The hardest part of planning and serving the Wednesday Community Meal at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral is that you don't know how many guests you'll have.

The meal is free and everyone is welcome. Our guest range has been anywhere from 180 to 340, so preparing the right amount is always a challenge.

We want to prepare enough food to fully satisfy everyone but we also don't want to waste any food. Wednesday after Wednesday, it just seems to work out.

Our secret to success?  — work hard, be creative, stay positive and really just wing it.

We served 268 meals today and at the end of the day had nothing leftover to refrigerate or freeze.

Our menu today was rosemary and lemon roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, roasted tomatoes, soup, salad and dessert.

The chicken was especially popular thanks to our volunteer Jeff who on the fly created a lemon and rosemary marinade and patiently basted both sides of each and every piece.  One guest came to the kitchen window to tell us it was the best meal he'd had in months.


I hope we can treat him to another great meal next week.

Roasted tomatoes with herbs and Parmesan cheese.

Salad with watermelon and grapes.

More From Wednesday

A cheeseburger, unwrapped and ready for toppings and condiments.

Thanks to Cindy who is a dedicated volunteer at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Wednesday Community Meal, here are some photos of the 276 lunches we served this week.

Our menu of a cheeseburger, fries and fruit kept us extra busy.
A few of the volunteers said the day gave them flashbacks of their youth and working in the fast food industry.

The fries that made the kitchen smells oh so good!

Burger baskets ready for guests.

Wednesday Burger Joint

Volunteers Anne and Martha, manning the burger and fry station.

A few times a year, we have to move our Wednesday Community Meal outside because Kempton Hall, where we usually serve, is unavailable.

This Wednesday was one of those times so we turned the doorway of the church into a to-go burger joint and the guests loved it.

Thankfully the weather held up pretty well, there were a few drops of rain right before noon but it didn't last long.

We served 276 baskets filled with cheeseburgers, fries and a small bunch of grapes. For the vegetarians, we had Gardenburgers.

After the guests got their food, they could head over to the condiment table and coffee cart for extras to compliment their meal.

It was a fun day and great to see guests relaxing on the lawn, visiting and enjoying the food.

It's such a privilege to get to know the people we serve. They are lovely.